


Recovery

by Patrocool (all_the_homo)



Series: patchwork quilt [3]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BTW Georges' mom isnt adrienne i didnt want to reduce her to a bitch, Backstory, Eating Disorders, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Heavy Angst, M/M, Misgendering, Other, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Sickfic, Transphobia, adrienne is a childhood friend of lafayette, cato and hercules are bros, if theres something i forgot please tell me, its some pretty fucked up stuff, like lafayette misgenders themself bc of the stuff they went through, not really but lafayette cant afford to feed both georges and himself so he doesnt eat much, okay but really, she isnt mentioned though so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 14:41:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8450329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/all_the_homo/pseuds/Patrocool
Summary: Their baby was sick, and so were they. Sick in the stomach, sick in the head, sick in every meaning of the word. They weren’t okay, they were never gonna be okay. When was the last time they were okay?	They were scared, they needed the medicine, needed it so bad, but they didn’t have enough, they never had enough, when was the last time they had enough? Enough food, enough money, enough love, enough comfort- it was all gone, and it was their fault.	They- Stop calling yourself that, you’re a man, you’re a man, now act like one- he could feel the tears building up behind his eyes as he clutched his baby close to his chest. Georges’ face was warm to the touch, and his tiny breaths were rattling in his little chest, and Lafayette had never been more scared in his life.* * * * *Or, Lafayette has a breakdown in a supermarket at 3am after they realize they can't afford to get Georges the medicine he needs. Hercules comes to the rescue, and turns Laf's life around for the better.





	

**Author's Note:**

> SERIOUSLY SOME HEAVY STUFF IN HERE, PLEASE DONT READ IF YOU'RE TRIGGERED BY ANY OF THIS STUFF, ITS NOT WORTH IT.
> 
> Fic includes: past emotional abuse, HEAVY misgendering, domestic abuse, manipulative behavior, Laf starves himself to save money to get the things Georges needs, mental breakdowns, sickness. If i'm missing something, please tell me.
> 
> You don't have to read the rest of the series to understand this, but if you have read the series, this is Georges, Laf and Hercules' backstory, of sorts. It's set about 15 years before the rest of the series. 
> 
> this was supposed to be a fic about theo, georges, philip and frances getting revenge on tjeff's kids for halloween, but i had a shitty halloween, so this happened instead.
> 
> happy halloween?

Their baby was sick, and so were they. Sick in the stomach, sick in the head, sick in every meaning of the word. They weren’t okay, they were never gonna be okay. When was the last time they were okay?

They were scared, they needed the medicine, needed it so bad, but they didn’t have enough, they never had enough, when was the last time they had enough? Enough food, enough money, enough love, enough comfort- it was all gone, and it was their fault.

They- _Stop calling yourself that, you’re a man, you’re a man, now act like one_ \- he could feel the tears building up behind his eyes as he clutched his baby close to his chest. Georges’ face was warm to the touch, and his tiny breaths were rattling in his little chest, and Lafayette had never been more scared in his life.

He was so pathetic, not being able to spare eight dollars for his precious baby, but what could he do? He only had three dollars, half of it was change that he managed to scrounge up from the cracks and crevices of his tiny apartment that was falling apart at the seams.

Slipping down to his knees, a sob made his way out of his throat as he held Georges closer, kissing the top of his head desperately. He’s usually such a happy baby, how could it have come to this? Lafayette wanted nothing more than to see his little baby smile and laugh, with his chubby little hands flailing around and his bouncy hair coming off his head like a goddamn halo. Georges was their- _his_ angel. A beacon of light in this time of darkness.

He kneeled there, on the floor of a 24/7 supermarket at three AM, crying over his sick baby. His thin, frail body wracked with sobs and coughs as he pressed his lips to Georges’ hot forehead. He couldn’t do this, not since his grandmother lessened his allowance from his inheritance and locked it, not since Monica made him choose _(“Me or it, Gilbert?” “He’s not an it, Monica, please, don’t make me choose-” “Me or the damn baby?” “Moni-” “Choose.” “G-Georges. Georges every time.”)_ , not since Georges had gotten sick, not since he had to quit his full time job.

Lafayette was about to get up and leave the store in defeat when there was a heavy, warm hand on his shoulder. He flinched and whipped around, holding Georges’ head against his neck. Fully expecting an employee telling him to leave, it took him a long moment to fully register the man crouched behind him, concern worrying his features.

Surprise flitted over the man’s features before alarm and despair replaced it as he carefully took in Lafayette and Georges.

Slowly, through his slight fever, Lafayette recognized the man in front of him, who was apparently speechless. Hercules Mulligan, fashion designer and one of Lafayette’s old high school best friends. 

“Laf- Jesus Christ, Laffy, what happened to you?” Hercules murmured, gently cupping Lafayette’s hot cheek. “Who’s kid is this? Are they sick? What’s wrong, baby girl?”

Lafayette stared at him numbly for a long moment before breaking into fresh tears. “’Ercules,” he croaked, leaning forward weakly to press his face into the front of his shirt. Hercules gently held him, rocking him gently. “It’s okay, Laffy, I’ve got you, I’ve got you, you and the baby are safe, okay? I’ve got you.”

Lafayette shook his head, pressing his lips to Georges’ soft, limp curls. “Non, non, ‘ercules, it is not okay, Georges, my baby, my sweet baby, ‘e is very sick, ‘e needs ze medicine, but I-I…” He choked, eyes shut tightly. “I-I cannot buy it; I do not have ze money.”

Hercules paused before his hand lightly slipped under Lafayette’s shirt to touch his back. He swore, looking at his old friend in disbelief. “Holy shit, Laffy, I can feel your ribs through your shirt, I thought that was just the way it was bunched up-” his breath caught in his throat and he swallowed hard. “Come on, up now,” he murmured, voice soft. “I’ll buy you and… Georges? I’ll buy the medicine, okay?” 

Lafayette stared at Hercules for a moment, not believing his luck for a moment. “Really?” He finally asked, shoulders slumped, his body swaying slightly. 

Hercules pressed his lips together firmly, and nodded, helping his old to his feet, and grabbing the medicine bottle. He felt sick, this wasn’t the Lafayette he knew and loved. Something had happened to them, something that they weren’t him, and whatever it was, it wasn’t good. “Yes, of course, I wouldn’t lie to you, would I? Now, come on, let’s buy this and I’ll take you home so I can take care of you, okay?”

Lafayette nodded numbly, rocking Georges gently as the baby whimpered, his face scrunching up. He tried to hold onto Lafayette’s shirt, but his grip was weak. “Okay,” he rasped, adjusting Georges so he was as close as possible. 

Hercules nodded and quickly went over to the counter to buy the medicine, and once he got back, he gently draped his heavy winter jacket over the thin one that Lafayette was wearing. “I’ll hold Georges while you put that on, okay? You’re no used to him if you end up freezing to death.”

He could see the hesitation and fear in his friend’s eyes before they gently handed over the blanket-wrapped baby. They made sure Hercules was holding Georges right before they put the jacket on, nestling into the soft fabric. Quickly, they took Georges back in their arms and Hercules wrapped an arm around Lafayette’s shoulders to lead them out of the store and into the parking lot. “Did you drive here?” he asked gently, ushering the French into his maroon Jeep. “We can come back and get your car tomo-”

“I walked.” Lafayette interrupted, putting their seatbelt on and carefully tucking Georges inside of the warm jacket.

Hercules swallowed, and got into the driver’s seat. “How far?” He turned on the car, and cranked up the heat. 

“Two, three miles. Does it matter?”

“Yes, it does, because you matter to me, and now, so does Georges, okay? You matter a lot to me.”

They were silent for a long moment. “Zank you,” they finally said, eyes closed as they drifted off to sleep.

Hercules didn’t have the words to reply, and he didn’t need them either.

* * * * *

“I’ll get a new apartment if I need to, Cato, if you want me to, but they were my best friend in high school, and they’re so… broken. I can’t just not help them after seeing them like this, especially not since it’s pretty obvious they’re starving themself to feed their kid. I can’t leave them.”

Hercules’ voice broke through Lafayette’s fuzzy mind, and they were sure they were dreaming at first. They hadn’t heard from Hercules in years. But at the way their stomach rolled, Lafayette knew he was some form of at least semi-consciousness. 

Another voice joined in with a soft sigh. “Hercules, I’m not saying you have to leave them, or that you need to find a new apartment, we just need to figure out a plan. He-”

“They.”

“They, sorry. They need something stable right now, especially with a baby. That’s all I’m saying, I wasn’t gonna kick ‘em to the curb. What kind of per-”

Moaning in pain, they twisted on to their side and clutched their stomach, whimpering in pain as tears sprung into their eyes. Immediately, the voices cut off and there was a dip next to him that Lafayette weakly fell into. “Hey, Laffy, how are you feeling?”

Hercules’ voice was deep and gentle as he stroked Lafayette’s frizzy hair away from his sticky, damp forehead. It was in that moment when Lafayette realized he was clutching a pillow instead of his baby.

Eyes snapping over and flinching at the bright light, he reached forward to weakly grip Hercules’ wrist. “Georges?” He croaked, stomach turning to led at the thought of anything happening to his baby. 

“Right here, I’ve got him. He just took his second dose of medicine, and is doing a lot better.” The quiet, rough voice from moments before said somewhere behind Hercules. Lafayette squinted and managed to make out a short figure holding his sleeping baby. His entire body relaxed at the sight. “We thought it might be better if we waited until you were a little better to have the two of you next to each other for longer periods of time. Sleep, rest, drink some liquids. We’ll take good care of you two.”

Lafayette laid back on to what he realized was a soft, worn futon. His body was cocooned in blankets, and when he closed his eyes, he felt a cool rag laid out across his forehead. “Sleep,” Hercules murmured. “It’s only been a few hours, when you wake up again, I’ll give you some food. How does that sound?”

Lafayette nodded idly and slipped back into unconsciousness, trusting Hercules to take care of him and his baby.

* * * * *

The next time Lafayette woke up, there was a soft, evening glow streaming from the window across the room, and Georges was playing with a stress ball on the floor with Hercules, the baby giggling happy. 

Lafayette blinked a few times before reaching out to lightly touch Georges’ head. The baby gasped and turned. “Papapapapa…” Georges gurgled happily and grabbed onto Lafayette’s hand, chewing on his thumb lightly. He smiled weakly and chuckled, gently pulling his thumb away. “Don’t chew on that, Georges,” he rasped, struggling to focus on him. “We don’t want you getting sick again.”

Hercules smiled softly, watching the two carefully. Lafayette was careful about not being too close to Georges, but not so far away that Georges would really notice. The ten month old was happily sitting on the carpet next to Lafayette's hand, and clapping his little hands together, babbling away. Lafayette seemed content to watch, breathing softly.

"How do you feel?" He prompted softly, meeting Lafayette's soft brown eyes over the Georges' head. 

"Cold," he heard the other murmur, shivering a little bit. "'Ungry, sore. But i's all good, Georges is okay."

Hercules nodded, slowly standing. He was careful not to step too close to Georges, as he went over to Lafayette to feel his forehead. "I think your fever has gone down, which is good." He lightly kissed the top of his head, and stood up straight. "I'll ask Cato to come out to watch you while I make soup, okay?"

They nodded again, and Hercules relaxed, going down the hall to knock on one of the bedroom doors. "Cato, do you mind sitting with Laf and Georges while I make dinner? We're having chicken noodle soup, and yes, the noodles are homemade."

Cato opened the door with a yawn, and nodded sleepily. "I got this." He mumbled, stretching a little. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed his laptop before going into the living room and leaning against the arm chair. He watched Georges out of the corner of his eye as he typed away at an essay. 

Hercules headed into the kitchen and started gathering stuff, humming quietly. He watched from over the island as Georges crawled over to Cato, tried to stand and then collapsed into Cato’s lap. Cato blinked, clearly surprised before gently picking Georges up to sit his properly in his lap. Cato then gently bopped Georges’ nose, whose eyes grew wide, and erupted into a fit of laughter. He smiled softly at the baby, and gently rebuttoned the top of his little blue teddy bear onesie, that was definitely worn out. Cato cooed at Georges and offered his finger for him to hold. Hercules almost dropped his hand on the stovetop, he was so distracted by the adorable scene in front of him.

Cursing softly under his breath, he got his stuff together, and focused on cooking. He could play with Georges after he got Lafayette fed. 

* * * * *

Over the next few days, Lafayette slowly recovered from the illness, as did Georges. Soon enough, the two were relaxed and happy. Lafayette still wasn’t up to full health, still underweight, but Hercules made sure he ate, and gradually he was able to eat more and more once again.

“Soon you’ll have an endless stomach again, baby girl,” Hercules noted one day, smiling softly at Laf, who was working on something for his online course while Hercules fed Georges. Next to Lafayette’s notebook was a mostly eaten muffin. “That’ll be a good day, we’ll go out to a buffet or something.”

Lafayette paused in their writing, not looking up. Hercules’ smile twitched, and then dropped, now a little worried and confused. “What’s wrong? Baby girl, we don’t have to go to a buffet or celebrate if you don’t want to, I was just teasing you-”

“You can’t call me that.” Lafayette’s monotone voice cut through whatever Hercules was going to say.

Hercules felt his eyebrows furrow, dread settling in his stomach as he slowly set the spoon of baby food down. “What?”

“You can’t call me baby girl, Hercules.” Lafayette said, like they were reciting something that they had heard over and over; it no longer held meaning, it simply was. “I-I’m not.” First crack. “I have to…” Second. “I have to be a real man now, and stop pretending. Reality check. G-get in tune with ze program.” Third. Lafayette was slowly crumbling in front of him. Their hand was trembling, knuckles white from gripping their pencil so tight. Beside Hercules, Georges was completely unaware anything was happening, babbling as he played with the cheerios he was supposed to be eating. “I have to stop pretending.” They repeated in a broken whisper. A drop hit the paper, their hair hiding their face. 

Hercules dropped to his knees next to Lafayette, looking up at their face and gently setting a hand on their knee. “Laffy,” he murmured. They refused to look at him. “Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette.” The full name caught their attention, gaze flickering towards him. His chest clenched at the sight of his friend’s red-rimmed eyes. “You’re real. You’re valid. You’re not pretending by being non-binary. Now, tell me the truth. Do you really want me to stop calling you baby girl?”

Lafayette looked so scared, and vulnerable as they hesitated before slowly shaking their head. “No,” they whispered. “But-”

“No, baby girl.” Hercules said gently, reaching up to gently cup Lafayette’s face in a comforting manor. They pressed into it like they were starving for touch. Hercules wouldn’t be surprised if they were. “No but’s, okay? You’re safe here, and so is Georges, and I’m gonna keep it that way, okay? Can you let me do that, baby girl?”

Swallowing slowly, they nodded. “Okay,” they whispered. 

They were gonna be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope yall got lots of candy and tissues, bc i sure as hell dont. thanks for joining me in hell.
> 
> also, fun fact: monica is named after my dad's new wife who's a fucking bitch and hit my half sister (and me, but i was just a baby, i don't remember it). so yeah. i don't have anything against monica's, but im salty.


End file.
